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and shall divide the land for gain;" which passages contain not only an intimation of his impiety in reference to the god of war, as explained in the preceding chapter, but also a prediction of the spoil and riches, which he would import from the conquered countries as sacrifices to his military glory, and of the division and distribution of the countries themselves among those who shall have asssisted him in his military enterprises.

But among his predicted Exploits his expedition into Egypt and Palestine is the one most minutely described in the prophecy, as an event which would particularly distinguish him; and, when viewed in combination with all the other particulars of his eventful life, would designate his appearance with the greatest certainty. As to the particulars of this expedition, it will be sufficient, without here repeating them, to refer to the forty-first and the four following verses of the extract given in a preceding chapter.* From these verses it appears that the fact of his entering into the glorious land having been stated, the circumstances which induced him to go thither are briefly detailed. Having made himself master of Egypt, he was troubled by tidings out of

* Chap. xv.

the east and north; in consequence of which he turned his steps towards Palestine, and planted his tabernacle between the seas: a direction in which it seems clear from the prophecy that he did not originally intend to proceed.

In comparing these Exploits of the predicted King with those of Napoleon, it is needless to speak of his prodigious success during the period in which he was commissioned to execute the Divine judgments upon the nations of Christendom. Every thing prospered with him; and in whatever direction he turned his arms, within the devoted limits, they were triumphantly victorious. Powerful monarchies and ancient dynasties were speedily overthrown by him; and the most formidable combinations against him vanished into nothing.

No less notorious was his spoliation of the conquered countries, and his seizure of their "gold and silver, their precious stones and pleasant things," the most exquisite performances of human art, to embellish and enrich his own capital: while he "divided the land for gain" among his generals and adherents, distributing among them dukedoms, and principalities, and even kingdoms, at his pleasure.

His expedition, also, to Egypt and Palestine corresponded, in a very remarkable manner,

with that detailed in the prophecy.

He

stretched forth his hand upon the land of Egypt*, after taking first Alexandria and then Cairo. At this latter place, having divided the country into departments, he called a general assembly professedly chosen by the people, but actually nominated by his generals. Through the means of this council he issued whatever decrees he pleased; and among others, imposed an oppressive land-tax, not only in Cairo, but also in the poorest villages; and thus he had

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power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt:" while by recruiting his army from the conquered country, he had "the Lybians and Ethiopians at his steps." +

An opinion has generally prevailed that one intended object of Napoleon's expedition into Egypt, was to attempt a passage over-land into India, with the view of attacking Great Britain in that which was deemed her most vulnerable .part. And with this design, early in De

* The Septuagint renders the 42d verse thus: "And he shall stretch forth his hand upon the Land ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν : i. e. the Land of Egypt, as it follows, kal yî AiyúwtOV O&K ἔσται εἰς σωτηρίαν.

+ Gifford's Memoirs of Napoleon, vol.i.

p. 263.

It has been suggested, for the purpose of opposing the writer's conclusions, that Napoleon possibly designed to transport his army to the east by sea; an hypothesis

vey

cember, 1798, Napoleon went to Suez to surthe isthmus, and to make the necessary preparations for marching his army in that direction, as soon as the season would admit. And if circumstances had not interposed, and induced him to change his meditated purpose, if he had proceeded in the intended direction, Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon (the countries which were formerly inhabited by those nations*; and which, lying in the line of

utterly groundless, when it is recollected that at that time he had neither ships nor transports in the Arabian Gulph, nor the means of procuring any, and that the British were masters of the Indian Seas. If, however, it should still be considered doubtful, whether Buonaparte had any real intention of conducting his troops from Egypt to India by land, yet his visit to Suez, his survey of that place, and his construction of a fort there, indicated some meditated advance in the ensuing season, on some of the neighbouring countries, from the accomplishment of which he was subsequently diverted by the tidings, which, in the mean time, reached him from Constantinople and Syria, and which induced him suddenly to turn his arms towards Palestine.

* These nations, having been among the most ancient and inveterate enemies of Israel, seem occasionally used by the Prophets, in a typical sense, to symbolize the antichristian powers, the implacable enemies of the true Israel of God in the latter days. But in this prophecy the symbolical style (as it has been already observed) is not employed. The language is for the most part literal; and people and places are called by their usual appellations; as, for instance, Persia, Grecia, and Egypt, the Libyans and Ethiopians. Hence it follows that in unison

Napoleon's projected march, testified their alarm by suppliant deputations to him during his residence at Suez), would have been exposed to the invasion and ravages of his armies. But unexpected tidings suddenly altered his plans; by which incident those countries "escaped out of his hands." He did not stretch forth his hand upon them, as he had stretched it forth upon the land of Egypt. These tidings were from "the north," Constantinople; and from "the east," Palestine and Arabia, informing him of the hostile preparations which were making against him, especially of the forces which the Pacha of Damascus, then resident at St. Jean d'Acre, was collecting, and of the multitudes of the Arabs which it might be expected would co-operate with him. "Therefore he went forth with great fury to destroy and utterly make away many he entered into the glorious land, and many were overthrown."* Gaza, Lydda,

with the rest of the prophecy, Edom, and Moab, and Ammon, are to be here understood in their literal sense, as signifying the countries formerly inhabited by those

nations.

* It is said in our translation, ઃઃ and many countries shall be overthrown." But the word countries is not in the original. The word many having a feminine termination, our translators might very probably conjecture that the word countries might be the substantive intended, and have added it accordingly. But it is obvious that the text will equally admit of the insertion of the word cities

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